The Food Lover’s Guide to Great Locations

As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Well, if you “heart” food, you’ll want to choose a location known for its culinary expertise. From French cuisine to amazing burger joints, let your stomach lead the way.

Whether it is San Francisco’s Dungeness crab or the best burger in New York that appeals to you, choose a location based on your preferences. The Midwest and beef, Southwestern spices and heat, Southern comfort food, East Coast cuisine, or the fresh seafood of the Pacific Northwest – it can be a tough decision for a foodie.

If dining out is important to you, find the best restaurants in your top choices for cities. If possible, take a look at their menus online. Once you’ve narrowed it down to the city, figure out how often you’ll want to visit those places. If it is more than once a week, choose an apartment in a nearby neighborhood. If you prefer to cook at home and only dine out once or twice a month, you can choose an apartment up to about an hour away from the city’s best restaurant locations and still enjoy great “date nights.”

Lunch can be a big problem for food lovers. With only about an hour to spare, it isn’t always feasible to go to a sit-down restaurant. Instead of visiting the nearest fast-food chain every day, try the newest rage: food trucks. Once the servers of mediocre burgers and canned sodas, food trucks have evolved into gourmet restaurants on wheels – and they can be found in every major city from Seattle to Atlanta. Today’s food trucks serve everything from fish tacos to duck dumplings.

Vegetarians can have a difficult time finding great restaurants. If you are a vegetarian foodie, selecting a location may be a little more challenging. Portland, Oregon is a vegetarian-friendly city with plenty of restaurants and vegetarian stores to choose from. Another great location is Los Angeles, California – it features more than 100 vegetarian-friendly stores and restaurants.

The South is known for amazing food – especially desserts. Sweet potato pie, banana pudding, pecan pie, and pralines … what’s not to love? Atlanta has some of the best restaurants in the country, serving everything from amazing burgers to fried chicken and waffles (a top dinner request in my home!). Louisville, Kentucky and Savannah, Georgia are also great locations for comfort food.

When mapping out possible cities and neighborhoods you’d like to move to, be sure to note the locations of restaurants, grills, and cafes. And, if you are a foodie that enjoys cooking your own amazing cuisine, find the nearest grocery store, organic food store, farmers’ market, and pick-your-own farm. Surround yourself with great food and it will be easy to love your new home.